The unexpected victory of the Dutch far right political party may lead to a "right turn" in European politics?

On the 22nd local time in the Netherlands, a new parliamentary election for the House of Representatives was held. According to the released statistical results, the Dutch far right political party, the Liberal Party, led by Helt Wilders, won 35 seats out of 150 seats in the House of Representatives, significantly leading the political party alliance composed of the Green Left Alliance and the Labour Party by 26 seats, as well as the caretaker Prime Minister Mark Luther's Liberal Democratic People's Party by 23 seats, becoming the largest party in the new parliament.

The leader of the party, Veldes, is expected to become the new Prime Minister of the Netherlands. Previously, the Luther government resigned collectively due to differences in immigration policies, leading to early parliamentary elections in the Netherlands. On the immigration issue, Wilders takes a tough stance, seeking to close borders and expel illegal immigrants. In addition, Veldes holds an opposition position towards the European Union and has promised voters to hold a referendum on withdrawing from the EU. The Guardian of the UK reported that Wilders' victory is one of the "biggest political upheavals" in European politics, just like Brexit, which will have a ripple effect throughout the continent. Some analysts believe that before the European Parliament elections in June next year, Wilders' victory warned major mainstream political parties in Europe that the trend of "right-wing" in Europe is becoming more apparent, and "the ripples of the past have turned into waves.".

Or due to economic downturn and immigration issues, Wilders may unexpectedly win the election

The European media referred to the Dutch parliamentary election as "one of the most unexpected elections in modern European history.". One of the reasons is that in the previous two elections, although early polls showed that the Liberal Party would achieve excellent results, the Liberal Democratic People's Party led by Luther ultimately managed to turn the tide and maintain its position as the largest party on the night of the vote. Therefore, many observers once believed that this election would also repeat history, and the high poll data of the Liberal Party would not be converted into actual seats during the vote. But the final result surprised everyone, even Veldes himself couldn't believe that his party had really won.

On the evening of November 22nd, when the first prediction was broadcasted on television at 9 o'clock, Werders himself couldn't believe it and patted his face with his hand. The result exceeded everyone's expectations and predictions. According to Dutch law, the Liberal Party has priority in forming a cabinet, which means that Veldes is expected to become the next Dutch Prime Minister. The website of the European newspaper Politburo commented that although it is not yet known whether Veldes can successfully form a cabinet, the incredible victory of the Dutch Liberal Party indicates that "the worst nightmare of the European Union" is about to come. Austrian political commentator Nina Houp believes that the reason why anti immigrant populist parties are now favored by European voters is because the continued economic downturn in Europe has led to an increase in unemployment rates, and multiple governments have failed to handle the immigrant crisis well, causing public dissatisfaction with the current situation.

Shout out the campaign slogan "Return the Netherlands to the Dutch"

The Liberal Party led by Veldes advocates for de Islamization of the Netherlands, as well as withdrawal from the European Union and cessation of immigration. Wilders' victory has caused concern among Muslim people in the Netherlands. Veldes has always referred to Muslims as a fascist ideology of "backward culture" and "backward religion", advocating for the prohibition of mosques, Islamic schools, and the Quran in the Netherlands, as well as the prohibition of wearing Islamic headscarves in government buildings. The head of the Dutch government's parliamentary body, Mukhsin Koktas, said that the election results have shocked the Muslim community, believing that the Liberal Party has violated the basic principles of the rule of law in the country.

For Veldes, if a government is successfully formed, he will take a tough stance on immigration issues and asylum policies. Similar to former US President Trump's slogan "Let America be great again" and Italian Prime Minister Meroni's slogan "Italy and Italians first", Wilders' campaign slogan is "Return the Netherlands to the Dutch".

Last year, the net inflow of population to the Netherlands exceeded 220000. The Dutch government hopes to provide as much shelter as possible for refugee groups, leading to a serious housing shortage problem in the Netherlands. Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Amsterdam, Dumenik, stated that there is already a shortage of affordable housing in the Netherlands, especially in large cities. These influx of people will compete with local residents for limited resources. Veldes has shown great urgency in dealing with the immigration crisis, having proposed restoring border controls, detaining and expelling illegal immigrants, and introducing work permits for workers within the European Union.

Since 2004, Wilders has been facing death threats for advocating against immigration and has been under 24-hour police protection. In 2016, he was convicted of discrimination by calling Moroccans "scum" at a campaign rally. On international issues, Wilders' position is also very clear. He opposes Ukraine's accession to the European Union and has repeatedly stated that the Netherlands should stop providing weapons to Ukraine. Meanwhile, he is also a staunch supporter of Israel, advocating for the relocation of the Dutch embassy to Jerusalem and the closure of the diplomatic embassy in Ramallah, Palestine.

The "right turn wind" may sweep across Europe

"The ripples in Europe have turned into waves," according to the Irish newspaper The Independent. Europe has already shown a "clear right-wing" shift, and far right parties that were once marginalized in many countries have gained mainstream influence. Previously, this was the case in both France and Spain, and in last year's election, the far right party in Sweden became the second largest party in parliament, while the far right party in Italy also came to power. In Germany, the far right party, the German Select Party, had a support rate of 21% in a September poll, surpassing the ruling Social Democratic Party. The Associated Press reported that the Dutch parliamentary elections are the latest in a series of elections that are changing the political landscape in Europe, with populist and far right parties achieving clear victories in some EU member states. "This is also one of the biggest political upheavals in Dutch politics since World War II and is bound to cause an impact throughout Europe.". The Independent reported that Europe is concerned that in the near future, far right ideology will not only become part of the "political diet," but even the only option on the "menu.".

"The profound crisis of the political system", according to the Latvian newspaper "The Independent", Vildes' victory in the Netherlands is worrying. His anti immigration and anti Islamic remarks have "inspired" many Latvian right-wing individuals, and these remarks are closely related to public opinion against the EU and aid to Ukraine. "But this is no longer a problem for Veldes or other politicians, we need to talk about more macro issues: crises in the political system, and even the collapse of the existing world order." Agence France Presse analysis suggests that the trend of the EU's "right turn" may create a more conservative Brussels in the coming years. In the view of French European legislator Gruckmann, the success of the far right in repeated elections means that the EU is "in jeopardy".